Arnan de Gans

Life in the Philippines

I am currently living in the Philippines and travel around the country regularly. I’ve left my plain and unfulfilling life in Europe behind and moved to the Philippines in late 2015. Doing away with what’s expected of me. In the Philippines I move to a new place to explore from time to time – Until I find the perfect place. Follow me on Facebook to see what I am up to!

Since moving to this country and not settling down for a while I've turned into a bit of a minimalist. I don’t have a lot of stuff anymore. Everything I own fits in two bags and on my motorbike. This works very liberating. The few possessions I have are much more valuable and are carefully weighed if I should have them. But also my life got more minimalistic. I found new things to do and learned to leave behind a lot of things and habits. My life is much simpler now, but at the same time brought a whole new set of challenges.

Random stuff about me

Winter makes me sad. I like video games, but rarely play any. Lego is cool. I have a laptop. Flip-flops are hip. Europe is a prison. I used to like internet things. Most of my belongings fit in two bags. Pineapple is awesome. I love driving my motorbike. I'm a shy romantic. A sloppy perfectionist if that’s a thing. Banana shakes are yummy.

My motorbike

I drive a Honda XR150L all over the country. It's a smallish bike, but it works very well for my purposes. On average I drive about 1500-1800km (~1100 miles) per month. Most of it is random day trips to anywhere. My decision making for such trips is as simple as "today I'm going to this point". Sometimes I even end up at my desired location... But usually I'm distracted by other landmarks along the way. Which only means I have to try again some other time.

My stuff

Pretty much all of the things I travel around with. Mostly clothes, good for about a week. I have a basic set of tools for emergency repairs and maintenance. I own a laptop and a bunch of accessories for the few gadgets I have. A spare pair of shoes, flip flops and my helmet. All-in-all everything fits on my motorbike, and isn't all that cumbersome. Which is of-course very important for light travel.

Travelmode

I'm exploring the Philippines on my motorbike. Drybag on the back. Me carrying a backpack. And just following the road to the next interesting looking place. Where I'll then probably stay for a while, exploring everything I want to see and discover. There is no set out plan other than a general direction and some cities or areas I want to check out. Planning doesn't go much deeper than about 1 to 2 weeks at a time while travelling.

Current location

Currently I'm in Puerto Galera on Mindoro Island. My apartment is somewhere to the left of the picture. About 200 meters from the beach. Which is really great! Internet is decent. The food not too expensive and the beaches are nice. In a few months I'll most likely move on to something new - Probably on Luzon. But I'll figure that out when it's time to go.

So many views

One of my favorite views is on Siquijor Island, way up in the mountains near Larena. There are many nice views to be had in the Philippines. But for now I prefer this one. You can see most of the south side of the island from here. I love great scenic views. Then to see if I can recognize landmarks and figure out how to get to them.

Photos

These are some pictures of me, where I've been, my life and things I treasure.

Arnan

Somewhere in Mindoro Occidental.

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Sunset

Taken while on the way to Puerto Galera.

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Bantayan Beach

The whitest (and only) beach on the island.

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Motorbike

My Honda XR150L on a gravel road.

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The woman I love

She likes pink things.

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Lapu Lapu

The happiest Lapu Lapu statue on-site.

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Roll-on Roll-off

On the way to Cebu Island.

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Manmade Forest

On Bohol they planted 10000 mahogany trees.

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Motorbike Repairs

3 flat tires in an hour... Time to replace the tire.

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Ricefields

I love the green of ricefields.

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Foot on Gravel

Going for a walk on Siquijor Island.

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Filipino GPS

Never runs out of batteries.

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Arnan

At Tamaraw falls.

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Rubberducky

My travelpartner betrayed me and stayed on Bohol.

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Boats in Big Lalaguna

And a nice view too!

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Snorkeling

Sometimes I like to take a look down-under.

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Tarsier

Seen at the Bohol Tarsier Sanctuary.

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White Beach Sunset

Minutes after the sun set on White Beach.

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White Beach

Big Lalaguna Beach. Prepare your snorkel set!

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Sunset on Bantayan

Silhouette sunsets are great!

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Diving

Divers outnumber the fish!

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Cebu Slums

All over the city. Inhabited by millions.

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More me...

Nutshell

I’m a 30-something guy who has ditched mainstream life. A jack-of-all-trades and entrepreneur of sorts.

Adventurer

I’ve moved to the Philippines and am currently searching for my paradise. My goal is to create a more relaxed and carefree lifestyle.

Minimalist

Most of the things I own fit in 2 bags. Stuff just gets in the way of everything. Having less crap is more fun!

Nomadic

I travel around in the Philippines on a regular basis. I live a nomadic lifestyle. But I'm not a Digital Nomad by any means.

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Living in the Philippines is not always straightforward and relies on many factors. One of which is your help. Be it a monetary donation, or a physical gift. Everything helps!

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